Herbal Medicine

Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotherapy.

Herb plants produce and contain a variety of chemical compounds that act upon the body and are used to prevent or treat disease or promote health and well-being.

A herbalist is a professional trained in herbalism, the use of herbs (also called botanical or crude medicine) to treat others.

The first Chinese herbal book, the Shennong Bencao Jing, compiled during the Han Dynasty but dating back to a much earlier date, possibly 2700 B.C., lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses - including ma-Huang, the shrub that introduced the drug ephedrine to modern medicine.

Sometimes the scope of herbal medicine is extended to include fungi and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts. People on all continents have used hundreds to thousands of indigenous plants for treatment of ailments since prehistoric times.

From the middle ages on, many practitioners have tried to classify herbal remedies by observation of their effects. This is closer to the modern scientific approach of gathering evidence.

Eastern herbal medicine still adheres to the mystical approach in its theories whilst western herbalists tend to use herbs for the ingredients they contain; mixing and matching them in the way that conventional medicine does with modern drugs.

The study of herbs dates back over 5,000 years to the Sumerians, who described well-established medicinal uses for such plants as laurel, caraway, and thyme. Ancient Egyptian medicine of 1000 B.C. are known to have used garlic, opium, castor oil, coriander, mint, indigo, and other herbs for medicine and the Old Testament also mentions herb use and cultivation, including mandrake, vetch, caraway, wheat, barley, and rye.

The Greek physician compiled the first European treatise on the properties and uses of medicinal plants, De Materia Medica. In the first century AD, Dioscorides wrote a compendium of more than 500 plants that remained an authoritative reference into the 17th century. The ancient Greeks and Romans made medicinal use of plants. Greek and Roman medicinal practices, as preserved in the writings of Hippocrates. Similarly important for herbalists and botanists of later centuries was the Greek book that founded the science of botany, Theophrastus’ Historia Plantarum written in the fourth century B.C.

In some cases, herbal medicines offer an inexpensive and safe alternative to pharmaceuticals. In the U.S., which has just 4% of the world's population, 106,000 patients died from and 2.2 million were seriously injured by adverse effects of pharmaceuticals in 1994 (Journal of the American Medical Association).

Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the world's population presently uses herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. However most herbalists concede that pharmaceuticals are more effective in emergency situations where time is of the essence.

Within the past decade, Americans have consumed ever-increasing amounts of traditional Chinese herbs and formulas. Some of these consumers are under the care and guidance of practitioners who have received specific training in the use of Chinese herbal preparations. Many, however, receive haphazard advice from both health practitioners and lay people who have had no experience or training.

In the case of Chinese herbal knowledge, its use by people unfamiliar with its rules and protocols invariably leads to mishaps: either the herbs or formulas fail to work as expected, or worse, side effects may result whenever herbs are used in contraindicated conditions.

Whilst there is undoubtedly merit in testing plants for beneficial compounds they may contain, it is through a truly scientific approach that these benefits will be realized.

Traditional Medicinal Herbs

Further Information Regarding Herbal Medicine

Green Tea EGCG May Preserve Stored Platelets and Tissues
In two separate studies, a major component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), has been found to help prolong the preservation of both stored blood platelets and cryopreserved skin tissues.

Manuka Honey Helps Fight Infection
Manuka honey may kill bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins. Dr Rowena Jenkins and colleagues from the University of Wales Institute - Cardiff investigated the mechanisms of manuka honey action and found that its anti-bacterial properties were not due solely to the sugars present in the honey.

American Mayapple Found to Have Anticancer Compound
A common weed called American mayapple may soon offer an alternative to an Asian cousin that's been harvested almost to extinction because of its anti-cancer properties. The near-extinct Asian plant, Podophyllyum emodi, produces podophyllotoxin, a compound used in manufacturing etoposide, the active ingredient in a drug used for treating lung and testicular cancer.

Healing Power of Devil's Claw Plant
Deep in Africa's Kalahari Desert lies the "Devil's claw," a plant that may hold the key to effective treatments for arthritis, tendonitis and other illnesses that affect millions each year. Unfortunately, years of drought have pushed the Devil's claw toward extinction, so scientists are scrambling to devise new ways to produce the valuable medicinal chemicals of the Devil's claw and other rare plants.

Freshly Crushed Garlic Better than Processed
A new study reports what scientists term the first scientific evidence that freshly crushed garlic has more potent heart-healthy effects than dried garlic. Scheduled for the Aug. 12 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it also challenges the widespread belief that most of garlic's benefits are due to its rich array of antioxidants.

Aloe Vera Beneficial for Teeth and Gums
Recently, aloe vera has gained some popularity as an active ingredient in tooth gel. Similar to its use on skin, the aloe vera in tooth gels is used to cleanse and soothe teeth and gums, and is as effective as toothpaste to fight cavities.

Toxic Herbs that Should not be Ingested
I prefer to use herbal medications rather than pharmaceuticals, partly because herbs are gentler and safer. However I am not suggesting that herbs are harmless. Indeed some can be deadly. Listed below are some herbs that should not be taken internally without special care or professional supervision, though some are quite safe for external use (for example, arnica).

Camphor for Pain Relief
Historically, camphor is derived from aromatic wood that was sold in Indonesia since ancient times. In the 9th century, the first formula for the production of camphor was recorded by Alkindus, a well-known chemist. In the 19th century, camphor became quite popular as an ingredient in pain relieving ointments and salves.

About Herbal Medicine
Herbal preparations are popping up all over grocery stores shelves and your local pharmacy. There has been an influx of alternative practitioners that have sprung up in the last few years and even some doctors are prescribing herbal remedies to their patients.

Exploring Choices in Herbal Medicine
The natural approach to health is quickly emerging as a popular trend among those that place value in their health. There are many different choices when it comes to herbal medicine. Throughout this article, you will be briefly introduced to the various options that you have that are considered to be "natural".

Herbal Treatment for Hair Loss Dandruff and Baldness
Treating various health ailments by using locally available herbs. Authors have extensively documented hundreds of herbal practices performed by Bhumkas. In this article, authors report a herbal treatment applied by these tribals to cure hair falling/ loss, dandruff and baldness.